SUGARCANE fields, unpaved roads, and a close-knit community hidden from the bustling world – this was once the essence of Free and Easy, a village tucked away five miles from the nearest main road on the West Bank of Demerara, Guyana. For generations, it was a simple, easy-going farming community.
However, a dramatic shift in the village’s dynamics and way of life has occurred in recent years. While agriculture persists, traditional practices are now complemented by various jobs and new ventures. Lifelong villager, Esther Thomas, said the community now lives up to its name.

A drive to the community of Free and Easy will take visitors on a commute along the West Bank of Demerara past the region’s more popular villages, like Patentia, Belle West, and Wales. Free and Easy is a calm, quiet village five miles from the nearest main road. Close-knit is an understatement when talking about the village of Free and Easy.
Most of the community’s people are connected or related in one way or another. As Esther explained, people of the community rarely leave. “I was born and raised right here in Free and Easy. For a piece of time, I moved out and went to live in the next village over, called Vive-La-Force. I like this community, and now I work at a nursery school not too far from here, Patentia Nursery School,” she stated.

“This community is a quiet one,” says Esther. The mother of three was born and raised in Free and Easy. Growing up, Esther remembers Free and Easy as a farming community. Found just a few miles from the Wales Sugar Estate, most of the community’s people depended on or worked with the estate in one way or another. For Esther, farming was a family business.
As she recounted the days she and her many siblings spent exploring the back dams of Free and Easy, “I grew up in farming. I remember going to the back dam, me and my older siblings. The farmers here were sugar farmers and they would sell their cane to the estate. My father was a farmer, and so were my older brothers. I came from a very large family; it was thirteen of us.”

Today, agriculture has seen a change in the community. As Esther explained, “When I was small growing up in here, it was mostly sugarcane farming. Most people used to do cane farming, but now we have more people doing different kinds of farming. Now we have more bananas, cassava and those kinds of crops.” As much as agriculture has changed in the community, that is not the biggest shift Free and Easy has seen.
The community has recently seen the addition of various industrial projects, the biggest of which is said to be in oil and gas. The new projects can be found just outside of the community, mere minutes away from the village.

This has sparked a ripple effect. People of the village have taken up newer, more industrious jobs, and entrepreneurship is also on the rise. As Esther explained, “Here is a lot happening now in the community. Some people open a small business, and somebody even open a wharf.”
Looking at her childhood compared to that of her grandchildren, Esther expresses that the way of life in Free and Easy has changed. From her days farming to the many new conveniences the current generation has, Esther says, now is not like long ago.

Infrastructure was a major complaint from the community residents the last time the Pepperpot magazine visited the village. Esther stated that, among the new changes in the village, the roads are the biggest improvement. As she stated, “At one point, the road was mud, but recently they did the road and it is better now.” Talking about the change of pace in Free and Easy, she shared that, “Most of the children here go to school in the neighbouring community. We have more traffic and trucks on the road now and so the children have to be careful. Some walk, some ride and some use bus and cars to get to school.”
Despite the changes, Free and Easy retains its close-knit community spirit. The village’s transformation from a quiet farming community to one embracing new industries and opportunities reflects the broader changes occurring across Guyana. As Esther and her neighbours navigate this transition, they carry with them the memories of sugarcane fields and muddy roads, even as they adapt to paved streets and new economic prospects.